No viable alternative to Senate immigration bill

As heartening as it was to read about the Senate's approval of the immigration bill, it was equally disheartening to read that it doesn't have a chance of a similar passage in the House ("Senate approves landmark immigration bill," June 27)! The most fundamental problem at the moment is that there are over 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. We don't have the capability to incarcerate or deport these people. It seems the House Republicans are concerned with the main component of this piece of legislation that grants provisional legal status and ultimately citizenship to these 11 million. But if they read the bill they would know that these people will be going through so many hoops, and rightfully so, that it will take them years to complete the process.

So do they have a solution to the 11 million illegal immigrants already living here? Apparently not. Something has to be done in Congress to start reform in this area. The Senate bill is a bipartisan one that addresses all the issues. No bill about something as controversial as immigration reform will please everyone, but this one is as good as it gets.

But House Republicans can't see the big picture. Our country has so many other pressing matters and this is one that could be resolved. Even George W. Bush saw the need to provide a pathway to citizenship, and he was thwarted. And no progress has been made in all that time. It's time for the House to close the chapter on this huge problem and stop being obstructionists.